Site Search Navigation

Site Navigation

Site Mobile Navigation

Supported by

Unemployment by Job Category

By Motoko Rich March 9, 2012 12:13 pmMarch 9, 2012 12:13 pm

The national unemployment rate held steady at 8.3 percent in February, mainly because more people started — or resumed — looking for work. But depending on the industry, unemployment rates are all over the map.

Despite continuing layoffs at all levels of government, the unemployment rate among government workers was just 3.9 percent in February, down from 4.2 percent a year ago, not adjusted for seasonal factors.

At the other end of the spectrum, agricultural workers suffer from an unemployment rate of 19.5 percent, compared with 18.4 percent a year earlier.

Construction is another dismal spot: unemployment among construction workers remains high at 17.1 percent, although that has come down from 21.8 percent in February of last year.

Unemployment in education and health services is 5.4 percent, and the Labor Department reported that unemployment in financial activities is 5.3 percent. Unemployment in professional and business services, meanwhile, is still high at 10.3 percent. In fact, that’s higher than the rate a year ago, when it was 10.1 percent.

And while the unemployment rate in the wholesale and retail trade sector is 8.9 percent, there are more unemployed workers from those industries — 1.8 million — than any other industry.

The Affordable Care Act imposes economic burdens that are the equivalent of taxes, an economist writes. Read more…

About

Economics doesn't have to be complicated. It is the study of our lives — our jobs, our homes, our families and the little decisions we face every day. Here at Economix, journalists and economists analyze the news and use economics as a framework for thinking about the world. We welcome feedback, at economix@nytimes.com.